Coded and electronically tagged welding wire

ABSTRACT

Information pertaining to characteristics of metal welding electrode wire and which characteristics are useful in connection with adjusting welding parameters in an arc welding process and/or selecting between operating modes in a welding system are encoded on welding wire and/or on other memory components such as bar code labels and tags, RFID cards and tags, IC cards, and Touch Memory buttons, and the memory device is scanned prior to and/or at the point of use of the welding wire for enabling tracking of product distribution, manual and/or automatic selection of an operating mode for the welding system, manual and/or automatic adjustment of welding parameters in a given operating mode, consumables inventory, and the like.

This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/336,574 filed Jun. 21,1999 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,267,291.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to the art of welding and, more particularly, tothe encoding of metal welding wire with information pertaining thereto,and to the control of automatic or semi-automatic welding apparatus andprocesses based on the information extracted from a coded welding wireor from other electronically readable information storage devicesencoded with information pertaining to a given welding wire.

The present invention is particularly applicable to the encoding and useof coded filler wire and other electronically readable informationstorage devices in connection with controlling automatic orsemiautomatic arc welding apparatus and processes based on informationpertaining to the welding wire. Accordingly, the invention will bedescribed with reference to such welding wire information and thestorage and use thereof in conjunction with manual and/or automaticcontrol of a welding process or apparatus. Incorporated herein byreference for background information is U.S. Pat. No. 5,692,700 toBobeczko which is assigned to the assignee of the present applicationand which discloses the provision of a bar code on a cover and/or reelto identify the type and size of the welding wire on the reel.

Electric arc welding is a complicated process wherein numerousinterrelated and non-interrelated parameters affect the deposition ofmolten metal to a weld pool in performing a welding operation. One suchparameter is the welding wire to be used and, in particular, informationpertaining thereto which is useful, for example, in determiningprocesses and apparatus in which its use is best suited and processesand/or apparatus operating parameters for a given wire. Otherinformation, such as the date and time of manufacture, the manufacturinglocation and the like, can assist in tracing the origin of the wireshould a problem occur requiring contact with the manufacturer. Further,information such as the alloy type, wire diameter, control numbers,lubrication levels, and the like is valuable for controlling a givenprocess or apparatus so as to optimize performance and weld quality.

In particular, the quality of automated welding is significantlyaffected by variations in the welding wire diameter which can vary by+/−0.001 inch and still be within welding wire specifications, and sucha variation can change the deposition rate by as much as six percent for0.035 inch diameter wire. Welding wire is drawn, and such diametervariations result from a manufacturer's efforts to fully extend the lifeof a die by starting with a die that produces slightly undersized wirewithin a given specification. The die progressively wears duringproduction, whereby the wire size gradually increases and eventuallybecomes oversized with respect to the specification. While it ispossible to tightly control the wire diameter during production such asby frequent replacement of dies, such production for most practicalpurposes is economically unacceptable. Another major factor affectingweld quality is a variation in the proportion of major to minor gases inthe shielding gas mixture for GMAW or MIG welding. The variation of theproportion of the minor gas from a given standard therefore cansignificantly alter the heat input and thus the weld size, shape andquality.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, information pertaining tometal welding wire of the foregoing character is magnetically encodedthereon and/or in or on other electrically or electronically readabledevices or components such as RFID (radio frequency identification)cards or tags, bar code labels or tabs, ROM, IC (integrated circuit)plates or boards, Touch Memory buttons, and the like. Touch Memory is aregistered trademark of Dallas Semiconductor Corporation of Dallas, Tex.

The information pertaining to the welding wire can be in a number ofdifferent categories including, for example, generic or fixedinformation such as the product name and/or trademark, the package type,and the like, and information relevant to the welding wire coiled on agiven reel or in a given barrel, such as the alloy chemistry thereof,the weight and/or length of the coiled wire, the date, time and locationat which a wire was manufactured, personnel responsible for themanufacturer, and the like. Still another category can be variableinformation such as the diameter of the wire at locations therealong,the surface condition of the wire, winding or twisting conditions,out-of-roundness of the wire, the location of anomalies such as breaksin the wire, the globular to spray break over voltage, personnel changesduring manufacturing, and the like. In addition to encoding informationof the foregoing character at the time of manufacturer of the wire, itis also contemplated in accordance with the invention that there can bea write back of information to be recorded at the time of use of thewire, such as the date and time of use so as to enable maintaining a logof usage, and the amount used so as to enable identification of alocation in the coil relative to the beginning and terminal ends of thewire.

The encoded information can be extracted prior to use and/or inconnection with use of the wire in given welding apparatus. Whenextracted prior to use, the information enables an operator to manuallymake the necessary preliminary adjustments of the control system for thewelding apparatus for obtaining optimum performance thereof, and/or toselect between two or more operating modes. With respect to the encodingof information pertaining to the wire diameter, for example, thediameter can be encoded at predetermined intervals along the length ofthe wire as it is being manufactured, and the extracting of suchinformation prior to initiating operation of the apparatus enables theoperator to adjust parameters of the process or to anticipate times inthe process where a parameter such as the speed of the wire feedingdevice needs to be adjusted, so as to maintain a desired deposition ratein response to diameter variations along the length of the wire. Whenthe encoded information is extracted from the wire or other storagedevice in connection with the operation of the welding apparatus, theextracted information can be used to automatically configure the controlsystem by adjusting an appropriate parameter or parameters foroptimizing the apparatus performance, or to automatically switch betweendifferent operating modes of the apparatus such as the spray arc andpulsed arc welding modes mentioned above. Such operating modes are givenby way of example only, and many other modes of operation can beselected between depending on the particular welding apparatus and/orprocess with which the principals of the present invention are used.Likewise, the parameter of wire feed speed is given by way of exampleonly, and it will be appreciated that many other parameters can becontrolled and/or adjusted using the principals of the present inventionsuch as, arc voltage, arc current, wave shape, arc length or gap, andgas flow rate to name but a few.

Preferably, encoding on the welding wire or on or in other informationstorage devices is achieved as the welding wire is drawn during themanufacturing process and, in connection with encoding information onthe welding wire, it can be achieved by imprinting magnetic pulsesthereon. The encoding on the wire may also be achieved by Manchesterencoding or MFM (modified frequency modulation) and at the point of use,the coded information may be read from the wire such as by using HallEffect, inductive pickup coil technology or a magneto resistive method,after which the code is deciphered and the extracted informationvisually inspected such as on a video screen, and/or recorded and/ortransmitted to the welding apparatus to achieve the foregoing control orswitching functions. When reading the wire in conjunction with theoperation of welding apparatus, the reading can be accomplished, forexample, at the wire feeding device.

As mentioned above, the desired information pertaining to electrode wirecan also be encoded in a Touch Memory button, on a RFID card or tag, oron a bar code label or tag which would be scanned at the location of thewelding apparatus by appropriate electronic reading devices. A TouchMemory button is a semiconductor memory chip enclosed in a stainlesssteel canister measuring, for example, about 16 millimeters in diameterand having a height between about three and six millimeters. It can beadhesively or otherwise mounted on an object, such as a welding wirereel or barrel and can read or write in response to a momentary contact.The memory chip is stimulated by a five volt signal through a singlewire contact and ground.

An RFID system is similar in application to bar code technology, butuses radio frequency rather than optical signals. The system comprisestwo major components, namely a reader and a memory tag or card, andthese components work together to provide a non-contact type ofinformation retrieval. In this respect, the reader produces a radiofrequency magnetic field which is transmitted from the reader by anantenna, and the RFID card or tag contains an antenna which receives themagnetic field signal from the reader and an integrated circuit whichconverts the incoming signal to an electrical form. The integratedcircuit memory contents are transmitted as an electromagnetic signalback to the reader wherein the signal is converted back into anelectrical form after which the data is decoded and transmitted to ahost computer system. RFID systems can be read only or read/write, andthe tag can be either active or passive. An active tag includes abattery to produce a stronger electromagnetic return signal to thereader which increases the extent of the transmission distance betweenthe tag and reader, and RFID systems do not require a direct contactwith or a direct line of sight with the reader and are well suited foruse in harsh environments. In contrast, bar code and Touch Memorysystems,require a relatively clean environment because they rely onoptics and direct contact with the encoded component of the system.

Regardless of the information storage system used, scanning for thestored information can take place either prior to or in connection withoperation of the welding apparatus to facilitate the foregoing manual orautomatic adjustment of the apparatus and thus the welding process so asto manually or automatically provide a welding procedure commensuratewith characteristics of the electrode. Again, such encoded informationenables the manual or automatic adjustment of the apparatus prior toand/or during operation thereof to, for example, compensate forvariations in the characteristics of the electrode. Additionally, thestored information preferably includes data relevant to tracking,product distribution, usage, and the like which can be retrieved at anytime for maintaining corresponding records including, at the point orpoints of usage, an inventory of the quantity of available wire.

It is accordingly an outstanding object of the present invention toprovide a method and system for controlling the operation of electricarc welding processes using consumable welding wire based on encodedinformation pertaining to the wire and extracted at the point of use forselecting between modes of operation and/or controlling operation of awelding process based on the extracted information.

Another object is the provision of a method and system of the foregoingcharacter in which operating parameters of welding apparatus can beadjusted during operation thereof in response to extracted informationpertaining to the welding wire and/or the apparatus can be shiftedbetween different operating modes based on the extracted information.

A further object of the invention is to provide a method of encodingmetal welding wire with information pertaining to characteristicsthereof and/or with information pertaining to operating parameters of awelding process with which the wire can be used.

Yet another object is the provision of welding wire having informationmagnetically encoded thereon pertaining thereto.

Another object is the provision of an information storage system forwelding wire by which a wire manufacturer can track wire production andfinished goods inventory and by which a wire consumer can track wireusage and raw material inventory.

Yet a further object is the provision of a system of encodinginformation relating to welding wire which enables error detection by aconsumer to preclude use of the wrong welding wire in connection with aparticular welding process.

Still another object is the provision of a method of controlling anelectric arc welding process based on information encoded on weldingwire used in the process.

A further object is the provision of a system for controlling theoperation of electric arc welding apparatus based on information encodedon welding wire used with the apparatus.

Yet another object is the provision of a method of operating an electricarc welding process in one of two operating modes and switching betweenthe modes based on information encoded on welding wire used in theprocess or encoded in or on electronically readable storage devicesseparate from the wire per se.

Still a further object is the provision of an improved method ofmaintaining an inventory of consumables in connection with an arcwelding process.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing objects, and others, will in part be obvious and in partpointed out more fully hereinafter in conjunction with the writtendescription of preferred embodiments of the invention illustrated in theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates apparatus for magnetically imprintingcoded information on metal welding electrode wire;

FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate different magnetic imprints of magneticpulses on the electrode wire using the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates information encoded on the wire usingManchester encoding technology;

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates encoded information on the wire in theform of magnetic pulses of different pulse widths;

FIG. 5 schematically illustrates encoded information on the wire in theform of magnetic pulses of different frequency;

FIG. 6 schematically illustrates apparatus for magnetically imprinting abinary code on welding electrode wire;

FIG. 7 schematically illustrates encoded information on the wire in theform of magnetic pulses having different binary values;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram schematically illustrating electric arcwelding apparatus having different modes of operation and bar code andother reading and deciphering components for shifting the apparatusbetween the modes of operation;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram schematically illustrating use of the codereading and deciphering components for controlling operating parametersof welding apparatus;

FIG. 10 is an end elevation view of a welding wire reel provided with abar code for providing information pertaining to welding wire wound onthe reel;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a portion of one end flange of awelding wire reel illustrating an RFID tag thereon for providinginformation pertaining to the wire on the reel;

FIG. 12 is a block diagram similar to FIG. 8 and schematicallyillustrating the control of welding apparatus using encoded devicesincluding a bar code, RFID tag and Touch Memory button;

FIG. 13 is a sectional elevation view illustrating the positionalrelationship between an RFID tag on a reel of welding wire and the tagreader;

FIG. 13A is an enlarged sectional elevation view of the portion of thereel in FIG. 13 on which the RFID tag is mounted;

FIG. 13B schematically illustrates the signal transmitting and receivingfunctions of the reader and tag;

FIG. 14 is a sectional elevation view of a welding wire reel showing aTouch Memory button mounted on the hub thereof;

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional elevation view of the reel taken along line15—15 in FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 schematically illustrates the read/write circuit between theTouch Memory button, welding wire and controller for the Touch Memoryarrangement shown in FIGS. 14 and 15;

FIG. 17 is an enlarged illustration of the Touch Memory button andwelding wire and schematically illustrating the read/write circuitry;

FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing the encoding of information to amemory device;

FIG. 19 schematically illustrates the encoding of data into an RFID tagapplied to a welding wire storage barrel; and,

FIG. 20 schematically illustrates an RFID system in connection withcontrolling a welding process and maintaining inventory management withrespect to electrode wire and shielding gas used in the process.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now in greater detail to the drawings, wherein the showingsare for the purpose of illustrating preferred embodiments of theinvention only and not for the purpose of limiting the invention, FIG. 1illustrates a section of metal welding wire W which is of indeterminatelength and, in connection with the manufacture thereof, is drawn andwrapped onto a spool or reel. In use, as will become apparenthereinafter, the reel is mounted on welding apparatus in associationwith a wire feeding device by which the wire is payed from the reel andfed to the welding station of the apparatus. As the wire is drawn inconnection with the manufacturing process, it is moved along a path asindicated by arrow P in FIG. 1 and, in accordance with the presentinvention, relative to an encoding unit 10 provided along the path andwhich includes a writing component 12 at an encoding station S alongpath P. In this embodiment, writing component 12 is shown as an inductorcoil having adjacent, reversely wound coil portions 12 a and 12 badjacent which wire W passes in moving along path P, and the encodingunit 10 further includes a switch 14 for connecting and disconnectingthe inductor coil with a suitable AC power source designated by linesL1, L2 and L3 through a rectifier 16. A code to be imprinted on wire Wis stored in an encoder component 18 of encoding unit 10, and the latterfurther includes a counter 20 which, as will become apparenthereinafter, sets the time between sequential codes imprinted on wire W,and an oscillator 22 which provides a timer for actuating counter 20.

Encoder 18 provides a predetermined menu of information and, preferably,information pertaining to wire W in addition to the information inencoder 18 can be encoded on a wire at selected times during themanufacturing procedure with respect to a given coil of wire byinputting such additional information through encoder 18 via aselectively operable writing device 23. Such additional information can,for example, be information pertaining to variables and/or anomaliesoccurring during the manufacturing process such as variations in thediameter of the wire and the surface condition thereof, a break orbreaks in the wire, a change of personnel operating the productionmachinery, and the like. The information which is stored in encoder 18on the other hand is information which does not, vary in connection witha given production run and which, accordingly, can include suchinformation as the manufacturer's name and location, a productdesignation, a specified wire diameter, the electrode composition, andthe like.

A controller 24 senses the movement of wire W along path P and operatesto control stopping and starting of the encoding unit so that the latteris active only when wire W is being moved along path P. Controller 24also operates to provide input to encoder 18 for imprinting encodedinformation on wire W relative to tracking the wire between thebeginning and terminal ends thereof and enabling, for example, providingpreselected intervals of length along the wire at which the diameter ofthe wire is to be determined and recorded.

In the embodiment of FIG. 1, encoding unit 10 is operable to imprintmagnetic pulses on wire W in response to the output of encoder 18through line 26 to switch 14 and by which the switch is operated toconnect coil 12 to power supply 16. As will be appreciated from FIGS. 2Aand 2B, the reversed configuration of coil portion 12 a and 12 brelative to one another provides for the magnetic imprinting on wire Wto have fields which produce local fringing of the flux to facilitatereading the coded information from the wire. The poles must line upeither in a sequence of N-SS-N or a sequence of S-NN-S, and with thecoil portions reversely wound as shown in FIG. 1, it will be appreciatedthat the sequences dependant on the direction of flow of current throughcoil 12. While a single coil having reversely wound coil portions isshown in FIG. 1, the desired flux fringing can be achieved using twocoils.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 1-5, the coded information imprinted on wireW is one or more sequentially imprinted magnetic pulses providing codesegments which, in FIGS. 3-5, are designated by the numerals 1, 3, 2,and 5. It will be appreciated that each of these segments represent adifferent bit of information regarding wire W. As will be appreciatedfrom the foregoing description of FIG. 1, counter 20 enables encoder 18based on the timing of oscillator 22 and sets the time and thus thedistance d between the sequentially imprinted code segments, and switch14 is turned on and off in accordance with the output from encoder 18through line 26 so as to imprint the magnetic pulse or pulses of eachsegment as well as to provide the distance d between the segments.Preferably, the information imprinted on wire W from encoder 18 and/orwriter 23 is simultaneously outputted from encoder 18 through line 27and encoded in a memory device 28 such as a Touch Memory button, RFIDtag or card, or a bar code label or tag.

FIG. 3 shows a code imprinted on wire W by Manchester encoding techniqueand comprised of code segments 30, 32, 34, and 36 respectively comprisedof 1, 3, 2, and 5 transitions from one magnetic polarity to the other,whereby it will be appreciated that the different number of transitionsin each code segment represents a different bit of informationpertaining to electrode W. FIG. 4 shows a code comprised of segments 40,42, 44, and 46 each comprised of a magnetic pulse having a differentpulse width in the direction of movement of the wire electrode. Based onthe unit width of 1 for segment 40, segments 42, 44 and 46 respectivelyare multiples of the unit width by 3, 2 and 5. Again, each code segmentrepresents a different bit of information regarding the welding wire. InFIG. 5, the code segments 48, 50, 52, and 54 are shown as magneticpulses having different frequencies as represented by the designationsf1, f3, f2, and f5. Again, the different segments represent differentbits of information pertaining to the welding wire.

FIG. 6 illustrates an arrangement for imprinting a plurality of magneticcode segments on a welding wire and wherein the segments have differentbinary values such as different binary numbers. A number of componentsparts of the encoding arrangement shown in FIG. 6 correspond to those inthe arrangement shown in FIG. 1, whereby the corresponding componentsare designated in FIG. 6 by the same numerals appearing in FIG. 1. Inthe embodiment of FIG. 6, encoding unit 10A comprises encoder 56, binarycounter 58 and clock 60, and a series of code storing components 62, 64,66, and 68 which respectively store binary codes A, B, C, and D forimprinting on welding wire W. Encoding unit 10A is activated in responseto the movement of wire W along path P by movement sensing device 24 inthe manner described hereinabove in connection with FIG. 1 and, whenactivated, operates to imprint binary codes A, B, C, and D on wire W asdepicted in FIG. 7. In particular in this respect, clock 60 determinesthe space d between the code segments and counter 58 enables thesequential output of code segments A, B, C, and D from encoder 56 toswitch 14 for imprinting on wire W. Further, as described in connectionwith FIG. 1, sensor 24 provides input to encoder 56 which enables theimprinting of tracking information on the wire. As with the codesegments in FIGS. 3-5, each of the segments A, B, C, and D represents abit of information pertaining to welding wire W. In this respect, and byway of example only, binary code A can identify the manufacturer and/ormanufacturing location, and binary codes B, C and D can identifynon-variable characteristics of the wire which are relevant to operatingwelding apparatus so as to obtain the highest quality work and optimumperformance of the apparatus and which, in this respect, might identifythe alloy of the wire, the specified wire diameter and a suitablewelding procedure for the specified wire diameter. Again, codes A, B, C,and D provide a predetermined menu of information for encoding on thewelding wire, and additional and/or other information pertaining to wireW can be encoded thereon through the use of writing device 23 in themanner and for the purpose set forth with respect thereto in connectionwith the description of FIG. 1. It will likewise be appreciated that theinformation imprinted on wire W can be recorded simultaneously on amemory device 28 as described hereinabove.

FIG. 8 schematically illustrates the manner in which operatingconditions and/or different operating modes in an electric arc weldingprocess can be controlled in accordance with stored, coded informationpertaining to a welding wire electrode to be used in the process. Moreparticularly in this respect, FIG. 8 illustrates by way of example anelectric arc welding system including a welding station to whichelectrode wire W is fed from a reel 70 and at which the electrode and aworkpiece 72 are connected to power supply 74. More particularly in thisrespect, electrode wire W passes through a contact sleeve 76 connectedto power supply 74 by a line or lead 78, and workpiece 72 is connectedto the power supply by line 80. For determining the actual arc voltageVa, a voltage sensing device 82 is provided in series with lines 78 and80 and has an output line 84 for directing the arc voltage signal to acomparator 86 for the purpose set forth hereinafter.

In FIG. 8, the welding system is shown as having a plurality ofoperating conditions including different operating modes which arecontrolled in accordance with the present invention as set forthhereinafter, and FIG. 8 in conjunction with FIG. 9 shows application ofthe present invention to controlling operating conditions in the form ofoperating parameters which can be controlled in conjunction with orindependent of the operating modes. With reference first to FIG. 8, thewelding system is shown, for purposes of example only, to be operable ina spray arc mode through a spray arc controller 88, in a pulsed arc modethrough a pulsed arc controller 90, and in a spatter mode through aspatter voltage controller 92. Each mode controller is operable througha system controller 94 to output the corresponding control program topower supply 74 through line 96. More particularly in this respect, eachof the controllers 88, 90 and 92 is operable to output a signal tosystem controller 94 through the corresponding output line 88 a, 90 aand 92 a which signal corresponds to coded information pertaining to anelectrode suitable for the corresponding mode of operation. Codedinformation pertaining to the electrode wire W on reel 70 is inputted tosystem controller 94 through a line 98 and/or a line 100 and/or a line101. Lines 98 and 100 are respectively associated with a reading anddecoding device 102 for reading coded information magnetically imprintedon wire W, and a reading and decoding device 104 for the non-contactreading of coded information on a memory device 106 which, while shownas an RFID tag or card, could be a bar code, or the like. Line 101 isassociated with a Touch Memory button 107. System controller 94 isprogrammed to compare the coded information pertaining to wire W withthe mode controller input signals, and when the input signal from one ofthe mode controllers is the same as the input signal pertaining to wireW the system controller is operable to connect the corresponding modecontroller to power supply 74 for the welding process to operate inaccordance with the control program for the corresponding mode. Itshould be noted at this point that no magnetic code on wire W or theabsence of a memory device 106 or 107 is, for purposes of the presentinvention, a code which indicates to controller 94 that there is noinformation available from the electrode, or otherwise, pertaining towire W. In accordance with the present invention, microprocessorcontroller 94 is operable in response to the absence of informationpertaining to welding wire W or to information other than thatpertaining to the available operating modes to shift the welding systemto a voltage mode of operation in which the feedback arc voltage throughline 84 to comparator 86 is compared therein with a reference voltageinputted thereto through line 109 from a set point voltage device 108such as a potentiometer. Comparator 86 outputs a difference signal tosystem controller 94 through line 110, whereby controller 94 outputs acontrol signal through line 96 to power supply 74 for the latter toappropriately adjust the arc voltage.

Reading unit 102 includes a reader 112 having a read coil 114 throughwhich wire W passes, and it will be noted that the adjacent coilportions of coil 114 do not have to be reversely oriented as do the coilportions of encoder coil 12 described herein in connection with FIG. 1.The reading unit further includes a decipher/decode component 116 bywhich signals corresponding to the coded information extracted from wireW are inputted to microprocessor 94 through line 98. Preferably, areadout/record component 118 is provided at the point of use forreceiving signals corresponding to the information extracted from wire Wthrough line 120 and enabling a visual and/or printed output of theinformation. Information relative to the use of the wire, such as dateand time information, operating personnel and the like can be input tothe readout/record component 118 by a manually actuated writingcomponent 122, and a wire actuated sensor 124 inputs information toreadout/record component 118 through line 126 to enable tracking theamount of wire used, anticipating the location in the reel of wire of ananomaly such as a wire break, locations along the length of the wirewhere adjustment of the process is required to compensate for changes inwire diameter, and the like. Further, system controller 94 can writeback to Touch Memory button 107 such as for tracking the amount of wireused, and the like. Another operating mode, not shown in FIG. 8, couldbe that of surface tension transfer welding using the STT welder of theLincoln Electric Company of Cleveland, Ohio. In the STT process, the arccurrent wave shape is a controlled parameter and a particular wave shapeis dependant on welding electrode wire characteristics.

In addition to shifting the welding apparatus between differentoperating modes as described above in connection with FIG. 8, theinvention is also applicable to the control of welding processparameters in connection with a given mode of operation of the weldingapparatus. Such parameters include, for example, wave shape inconnection with STT welding, welding wire feed speed, arc current, arcvoltage, gas flow rate, arc length or gap, and the like. Thus, as willbe appreciated from FIG. 9, the information pertaining to wire W whichis extracted by reader 112 and deciphered and decoded in component 116can be outputted through a line 128 directly to a controller 130 foradjusting the corresponding parameter of the welding process. Likewise,it will be appreciated that such information encoded on a memory device106 or 107 as described above can be outputted from read/decode device104 directly to a parameter controller 130. While the foregoingdescription is with respect to automatic control of the weldingapparatus or process based on the extraction of coded information fromdevices including the welding wire, it will be appreciated that theextracted information inputted to read out/record device 118 can be usedby an operator of the apparatus to manually select the appropriate modeof operation and/or to manually adjust operating parameters of theprocess and apparatus.

FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate welding wire reels 132 and 132A,respectively, having a flange 134 provided with non-contact type memorydevices of the character described and discussed hereinabove andcontaining information pertaining to the welding wire on the reel. Inthe embodiment of FIG. 10, the memory device is a bar code in the formof a label 136 securely attached to flange 134 such as by an adhesivebond, and in the embodiment of FIG. 11, the memory device is an RFID tagor button 138 attached to flange 134 and having an enclosed coil antenna140. FIG. 12 schematically illustrates the use of bar code 136 and RFIDdevice 138 in connection with controlling the operating mode for thewelding system shown and described hereinabove in connection with FIG.8. Accordingly, corresponding parts of the welding system illustrated inFIG. 8 are designated by the same numerals in FIG. 12, wherein it willbe appreciated that signal lines 88 a, 90 a and 92 a are respectivelyconnected to the spray arc controller, pulsed arc controller and spattervoltage controller components shown in FIG. 8 and that signal line 109is connected to the set point voltage component 108 in FIG. 8.

In FIG. 12, a bar code reader 142 is positioned to read bar code 136 onreel 132 which, while not shown in detail, is in its mounted position onthe welding apparatus. FIG. 12 also shows a reader/decoder 144 having anantenna 146 for communicating with RFID tag 138 which, while not shownfor purposes of clarity would be on a wire reel as shown in FIG. 11.Further, FIG. 12 shows a Touch Memory button 148 which, as will becomeapparent hereinafter, can be mounted on a wire reel such as reel 132 forproviding information pertaining to the wire. Reader 142 is connected toread/decode component 144 by line 150 and Touch Memory button 146 isconnected to the read/decode component by line 152, whereby theinformation pertaining to electrode wire W extracted from thecorresponding memory device is transmitted to and decoded in component144 and then outputted through line 154 to system controller 94 as acontrol signal for determining the mode of operation of the arc weldingsystem. Again, while not shown, the memory and reading devices in FIG.12 can operate to control operating parameters in connection with agiven mode of operation of the welding process as described hereinabovein connection with FIG. 9. Furthermore, as described in connection withFIG. 8, the information extracted from the encoded device can bedisplayed and/or printed to enable manual selection of a mode ofoperation and/or manual adjustment of operating parameters by theoperator of the welding apparatus.

FIG. 13 illustrates reel 132A mounted on a reel support 156 which can beassociated with welding apparatus and a wire feeding mechanismassociated therewith. As will be appreciated from the foregoingdescription regarding FIG. 11, RFID tag 138 is mounted on one of thereel flanges 134 radially outwardly from the axis of rotation of thereel, and a reader 158 for the RFID tag is supported adjacent the reelflange and in a radially outward position relative to reel support 156which provides for the reader to be aligned with the RFID tag. As willbe appreciated from FIGS. 13, 13A and 13B, and as is well known inconnection with RFID memory devices, reader 158 produces a low levelradio frequency magnetic field transmitted from the reader antenna tothe RFID tag as indicated by arrow A in FIGS. 13 and 13B. The antenna inRFID tag 138 receives the magnetic field signal of the reader andconverts it to an electrical form by which the integrated circuit in theRFID device is powered. The memory contents in the integrated circuitare then transmitted by the RFID tags antenna back to the reader in analtered form of the magnetic field from the reader as indicated by arrowB in FIGS. 13A and 13B. The electromagnetic signal denotes the datastored in the tag memory, and the data is decoded and transmitted fromthe reader via line 160 to the system controller as stated hereinabovein connection with FIG. 12.

As mentioned hereinabove, Touch Memory button 148 can be mounted on awire reel for both reading and writing of information pertaining to thewire on the reel, and FIGS. 14 and 15 show one structural arrangementfor this purpose. More particularly in this respect, Touch Memory button148 is mounted in a recess therefor in hub 162 of reel 132, and wire Wwound on the reel includes a remote or inner end W1 disposed inelectrical contact with the contact or touch side of the button. As iswell known, the contact side of the button is adapted to be placed incontact with a low voltage source of up to five volts and across ground164 to activate the button's memory and, as will become apparenthereinafter, wire W provides read/write line 152 in FIG. 12. Moreparticularly in this respect, as will be appreciated from FIGS. 16 and17 of the drawing, Touch Memory button 148 basically comprises asemiconductor memory chip, not shown, packaged in a two piece stainlesssteel canister having a base 166 which includes a mounting flange andprovides ground 164, and a touch or contact surface 168 which, as shownin FIGS. 15 and 17, is engaged by remote end W1 of the welding wirewound on the reel. The memory button may, for example, be attached tothe hub of reel 132 by a metal mounting component 170 which engagesflange 166 and which, as will be apparent from FIG. 17, then providesground 164 for the memory circuit. As shown in FIG. 16, welding wire Wis payed from reel 132 to a welding station WS by a wire feedingmechanism FM, and a central processing unit 172 for the Touch Memorybutton is operable in conjunction with system controller 94 to output afive volt signal to wire W for activating Touch Memory button 148through wire end W1 and ground 164. Thereupon, data stored in button 148can be read by processing unit 172 through line 174 and the processingunit can write back to button 148 through line 176. This advantageouslyenables maintaining, for example, a record of the amount of wire usedand, thus, the amount of wire remaining on the reel at any given time.As another example, the data in the memory of Touch Memory button 148can include information relevant to locations along the length of thewire at which the welding process should be altered to accommodate, forexample, changes in wire diameter whereby, at such locations, controller94 can make the necessary adjustments through output line 96.

As will be appreciated from FIG. 18, a memory device 178 which can bethe memory component of an RFID tag or a Touch Memory button 148, asshown in FIG. 18, can be encoded with a variety of data at the time ofand in connection with manufacturing of wire W. As shown in FIG. 18,such data can include fixed data which, for a given welding wire, doesnot vary from one reel or barrel to the next such as, for example, themanufacturer's name, the product name, trademark/copyright information,and the like. Intermittent data which relates to a given welding wireand which may vary from one reel or barrel to the next can also beencoded in the memory device including, for example, wire chemistry, aspecified wire diameter, the date and time of manufacture, themanufacturing location, and the like. Real time data which needs to berecorded and encoded in the memory device at the time of and inconnection with manufacturing of the wire includes, for example, thelength of wire on a reel or in a barrel, the actual diameter of the wireat locations along the length thereof, areas along the length of thewire at which an out-of-round condition exists, areas in which the wireis twisted or wound, the location or locations of anomalies such as awire break, and the like. As will be appreciated from FIG. 18, thelatter types of data are processed in a multiplexer 180, seriallyarranged and recorded in a recorder 182 and then serially encoded inmemory device 178. Further information which can be encoded in thememory device for a given welding wire on a reel or in a barrel relatesto welding programs and procedures by which, through the processcontroller 94, welding apparatus is controlled to execute a program readfrom the memory and which may include, for example, the control of suchprocess parameters as an arc voltage, arc current, arc length, gas flowrate, wire feed rate, globular to spray break over voltage and the like.

While the description hereinabove is with respect to the encoding ofinformation in the memory of an RFID plate or tag or a Touch Memorybutton for application to a reel of welding wire, it will be appreciatedas schematically shown in FIG. 19, that data corresponding to thatdescribed in connection with FIG. 18 can be encoded in memory device 178in connection with the manufacturing of wire W which is wound into abarrel or drum 184 as opposed to being wound on a reel. As mentionedabove in connection with FIG. 18, memory device 178 can be the memorycomponent of an RFID tag such as tag 138 described hereinabove andwhich, following the wire manufacturing process, would be applied to theside of drum 184. In connection with the use of the drum of wire, theinformation stored in the memory of tag 138 can be read by anappropriate reader and, if the tag is read/write, it can be written toduring use of the wire so as to maintain a record of the amount of wireleft in the drum at any given time. Still further, while RFID tag 138 isshown in connection with drum 184, it will be appreciated from thedescription herein that memory device 178 could be the memory componentof a Touch Memory button mounted on or in the barrel and havingappropriate connections for the touch surface and ground for accessingthe read/write functions thereof.

FIG. 20 schematically illustrates the use of RFID tags in connectionwith controlling a welding process and maintaining an inventory of wireand shielding gas usage in connection therewith. While RFID devices areshown, it will be appreciated that the same process control andconsumables inventory maintenance can be achieved using Touch Memorydevices. More particularly in this respect, FIG. 20 schematicallyillustrates a welding system including a system controller 186, awelding wire supply barrel 184 having an RFID tag 138 thereon asdescribed above in connection with FIG. 19, a shielding gas tank 188having an RFID tag 138 mounted thereon, and a welding station WS towhich the welding wire and gas are delivered in connection withperforming the welding process. The memory component in RFID tag 138 ontank 188 includes data regarding the amount of gas initially in thetank, and a flow meter 190 is operable during the welding process tooutput a signal through line 192 to system controller 186 which isindicative of the gas flow rate and thus the quantity of gas used. WireW is fed to welding station WS through a gage 194 which is operableduring the welding process to transmit a signal through line 196 tosystem controller 186 which is indicative of the feed rate and thus thelength of welding wire used. System controller 186 includes a reader 198for RFID tag 138 on gas tank 188, and a reader 200 for RFID tag 138 onwire barrel 184. In response to the inputs to system controller 186through lines 192 and 196, readers 198 and 200 respectively write backto RFID tag 138 on tank 188 and RFID tag 138 on barrel 184 to change thecorresponding memory for the latter to reflect the usage and provide thecurrent quantity of gas and wire in the respective container.Furthermore, based on the information stored in the memory of RFID tag138 on wire barrel 184 as described above in connection with FIGS. 18and 19, system controller 186 is operable through an output line 202 tothe welding power supply, gas flow control and wire feeding devices, notshown, to adjust the wire feed speed, gas flow rate and other weldingparameters in accordance with the data in the memory component of theRFID tag pertaining to the welding wire.

Further in connection with FIG. 20, an inventory management center 204is provided with a reader 206 for RFID tag 138 on gas tank 188, and areader 208 for RFID tag 138 on wire barrel 184. As indicated by thedirectional arrows in connection with the reader antennas, these readersrespectively receive data from the RFID tags on tank 188 and barrel 184reflecting current quantities of gas and wire in the respectivereceptacles. This information is transmitted to the inventory managementcenter 204, and the information is available therefrom visually such ason a television screen as indicated by block 210 and/or by printout asindicated by block 212.

While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on preferredembodiments of the invention, it will be appreciated that otherembodiments can be devised and that many changes can be made in thepreferred embodiments without departing from the principles of theinvention. Accordingly, it is to be distinctly understood that theforegoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrativeof the invention and not as a limitation.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of controlling an electric arc weldingprocess having a plurality of operating conditions and wherein a weldingwire is advanced toward a workpiece and a welding arc is establishedbetween the advancing wire and the workpiece, including: a) providing astored source of coded information pertaining to variations along thelength of a welding wire to be used in an electric arc welding process;b) scanning the stored source for extracting coded information therefrompertaining to variations along the length of the wire; and, c)controlling and/or selecting at least one of the plurality of operatingconditions of said welding process in accordance with the extractedinformation.
 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said operatingconditions include first and second operating modes for said weldingprocess and said extracted information including one of the first andsecond codes respectively pertaining to said first and second operatingmodes, said method including: d) operating said welding process in saidfirst mode in response to said extracted information being said firstcode; and, e) operating said welding process in said second mode inresponse to said extracted information being said second code.
 3. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein said stored source of codedinformation at least one of an RFID component, an IC component, and asemi-conductor memory chip.
 4. The method according to claim 1, whereinsaid stored source of coded information is magnetically imprinted on thewelding wire.
 5. The method according to claim 1, including: d)comparing the extracted information with preselected information; and,e) controlling said at least one operating condition based on saidcomparison.
 6. The method according to claim 5, wherein said operatingconditions include first and second operating modes for the process andsaid extracted and preselected information respectively provide firstand second codes, said method including: f) operating said process insaid first mode when said first and second codes are the same; and, g)operating said process in said second mode when said first and secondcodes are different.
 7. The method according to claim 1, including: d)providing said coded information on a component mounted on a containerfor said wire; and, e) scanning the component on said container forextracting information therefrom pertaining to the wire.
 8. The methodaccording to claim 7, wherein said component is one of an RFID tag, ICtag and a semi-conductor memory chip.
 9. A system for controlling anelectric arc welding process wherein a welding wire is advanced toward aworkpiece and a welding arc is established between the advancing wireand the workpiece comprising, a stored source of coded informationpertaining to variations along the length of said wire, a code scannerto scan said stored source and to output a signal indicative of saidcoded information pertaining to variations along the length of wire saidwire, and a controller operating the welding process in accordance withsaid signal.
 10. A system according to claim 9, wherein the outputtedsignal is a first signal, a memory device providing a second signalindicative of desired information pertaining to a welding wire, and acomparator for comparing said first and second signals, said comparatoroutputting a first control signal when said first signal and said secondsignal are the same and a second control signal when said first signaland said second signal are different.
 11. A system according to claim10, wherein said welding process has first and second modes ofoperation, and means responsive to said first and second control signalsfor respectively shifting said process between said first and secondmodes of operation.
 12. A system according to claim 9, wherein saidstored source of information is one of the welding wire, an RFIDcomponent, an IC component, and a semi-conductor memory chip, anddecoding means for receiving and decoding the outputted signal.
 13. Asystem according to claim 12, wherein said welding process has aplurality of operating parameters, said coded information includinginformation pertaining to at least one of said parameters, control meansfor controlling the operation of said process, and said decoding meansoutputting a control signal to said control means indicative of saidinformation pertaining to said at least one parameter.
 14. A systemaccording to claim 9, wherein the outputted signal is a first signalindicative of an actual characteristic of said wire, a memory device toprovide a second signal indicative of a desired characteristic for thewire, and a comparator for comparing said first and second signals andoutputting first and second control signals respectively when said firstand second signals are the same and different.
 15. A system according toclaim 14, wherein said process is selectively operable in a first modeand in a second mode, means responsive to said first and second controlsignals for shifting operation of said process between said first andsecond modes for said process to operate in one of said first and secondmodes when said first and second control signals are the same and tooperate in the other mode when said first and second control signals aredifferent.
 16. A system for controlling the operation of electric arcwelding apparatus wherein a welding wire is advanced toward a workpieceand a welding arc is established between the advancing wire and theworkpiece comprising, a scanner to scan said wire as it is advancing andoutputting a signal indicative of coded information thereon pertainingto said wire, and a controller to shift the operation of the weldingapparatus in accordance with said signal.
 17. A system according toclaim 16, wherein the outputted signal is a first signal, a memorydevice to provide a second signal indicative of desired informationpertaining to a welding wire, and a comparator for comparing said firstand second signals, said comparator outputting a first control signalwhen said first signal and said second signal are the same and a secondcontrol signal when said first signal and said second signal aredifferent.
 18. A system according to claim 16, wherein the outputtedsignal is a first signal indicative of an actual characteristic of saidwire, a memory device to provide a second signal indicative of a desiredcharacteristic for the wire, and a comparator for comparing said firstand second signals and outputting first and second control signalsrespectively when said first and second signals are the same anddifferent.
 19. A system according to claim 18, wherein said apparatus isselectively operable in first and second modes, means responsive to saidfirst and second control signals for shifting operation of saidapparatus between said first and second modes for said apparatus to beoperable in one of said first and second modes when said first andsecond control signals are the same and in the other mode when saidfirst and second control signals are different.
 20. A method ofcontrolling an electric arc welding process having a plurality ofoperating conditions and wherein a welding wire is advanced toward aworkpiece and a welding arc is established between the advancing wireand the workpiece, including: a) providing coded information on saidwelding wire to be used in an electric arc welding process; b) scanningthe moving welding wire for extracting coded information therefrompertaining to the wire; and, c) selecting one of the plurality ofoperating conditions of said process in accordance with the extractedinformation.
 21. The method according to claim 20, wherein saidoperating conditions include first and second operating modes for theprocess and said extracted information includes one of first and secondcodes respectively pertaining to said first and second operating modes,said method including: d) operating said process in said first mode inresponse to said extracted information being said first code; and, e)operating said process in said second mode in response to said extractedinformation being said second code.
 22. The method according to claim20, wherein the stored source of coded information is at least one ofthe welding wire, an RFID component, an IC component, and asemi-conductor memory chip.
 23. A method of controlling an electric arcwelding process having a plurality of operating conditions and wherein awelding wire is advanced toward a workpiece and a welding arc isestablished between the advancing wire and the workpiece, including: a)providing a stored source of coded information pertaining to variationsalong the length of a welding wire to be used in an electric arc weldingprocess; b) scanning the stored source for extracting coded informationtherefrom pertaining to variations along the length of the wire; c)controlling at least one of the plurality of operating conditions ofsaid process in accordance with the extracted information; d) providingsaid coded information on said welding wire; and, e) scanning theadvancing wire for extracting coded information therefrom pertaining tothe wire.
 24. A method of controlling an electric arc welding processhaving a plurality of operating conditions and wherein a welding wire isadvanced toward a workpiece and a welding arc is established between theadvancing wire and the workpiece, including: a) scanning the advancingwire for coded information pertaining to variations along the length ofthe wire; and, b) controlling at least one of the plurality of operatingconditions in response to the information extracted from the wirewherein said coded information includes at least one code segment of oneof a pulse count, a pulse width, a pulse frequency, and a binary value.25. The method according to claim 24, wherein said coded informationincludes at least two code segments having different pulse widths. 26.The method according to claim 24, wherein said coded informationincludes at least two code segments having different pulse widths. 27.The method according to claim 24, wherein said coded informationincludes at least two code segments having different pulse frequencies.28. The method according to claim 24, wherein said coded informationincludes at least two code segments having different binary values. 29.A system for controlling the operation of electric arc welding apparatuswherein a welding wire is advanced toward a workpiece and a welding arcis established between the advancing wire and the workpiece comprising,means for scanning said wire and outputting a signal indicative of codedinformation thereon pertaining to said wire, and control means forcontrolling the operation of the welding apparatus in accordance withsaid signal, wherein said coded information includes code segments andthe outputted signal is representative of at least one code segment, anda decoder for receiving and decoding at least one code segment.
 30. Asystem according to claim 29, wherein said welding apparatus has aplurality of operating parameters, said at least one code segmentincluding information pertaining to at least one of said parameters, andsaid decoder outputting a control signal to said controller indicativeof said information pertaining to said at least one parameter.
 31. Amethod of controlling an electric arc welding process having a pluralityof operating conditions and wherein a welding wire is advanced toward aworkpiece and a welding arc is established between the advancing wireand the workpiece, including: a) scanning the advancing wire for codedinformation pertaining to the wire; and, b) selecting one of theplurality of operating conditions in response to the informationextracted from the wire wherein the coded information is in asemi-conductor memory chip in electrical contact with a remote end ofsaid advancing wire.
 32. A method of controlling an electric arc weldingprocess having a plurality of operating conditions and wherein a weldingwire is advanced toward a workpiece and a welding arc is establishedbetween the advancing wire and the workpiece, including: a) providing astored source of coded information pertaining to a welding accessory tobe used in an electric arc welding process, said stored source of codedinformation including a source selected from the group consisting of aRFID component, IC component, a semi-conductor memory component, amagnetic imprint on the welding wire, and combinations thereof, saidstored source of coded information in the form of electrical and/orelectromagnetic wave information; b) extracting the coded informationfrom the welding accessory; and, c) controlling and/or selecting atleast one of the plurality of operating conditions of said weldingprocess in accordance with said extracted information.
 33. The method asdefined in claim 32, wherein said welding accessory includes anaccessory selected from the group consisting of welding wire, gascontainer, and combinations thereof.
 34. The method as defined in claim32, wherein said stored source of coded information separate from saidwelding accessory.
 35. A method of creating coded information for use inelectric arc welding, said method comprising: (a) manufacturing weldingwire involving moving of a length of said welding wire along a givenpath to a storage device for subsequent use; (b) providing codedinformation; (c) loading said coded information into a readable memorydevice; (d) coordinating said loading operation by said moving wire sosaid coded information is correlated to an area of or position on saidwelding wire.
 36. A method as defined in claim 35 wherein said storagedevice is said moving welding wire.
 37. A method as defined in claim 35wherein said storage device is separate from said welding wire.
 38. Amethod as defined in claim 35 wherein said coded information isgenerated by manufacturing of said welding wire.
 39. A system forcreating coded information for use in electric arc welding, said systemcomprising: a manufacturing device that moves a length of said weldingwire along a given path to a storage device for subsequent use; a sourceof coded information; a device for loading said coded information into areadable memory device; and a device for coordinating said loadingoperation by said moving wire so said coded information is correlated toan area of or position on said welding wire.
 40. A system as defined inclaim 39 wherein said storage device is said moving welding wire.
 41. Asystem as defined in claim 39 wherein said storage device is separatefrom said welding wire.
 42. A method of gaging the remaining wire of awire supply for an electric arc welder, said method comprising: (a)providing a memory device storing a first coded information regardingthe length of wire in said supply; (b) reading the amount of wire fromsaid supply used for welding to give a second coded information of saidamount; and, (c) subtracting said second coded information from saidfirst coded information to gage the remaining wire.
 43. A storage devicefor electric arc welding wire having a semi-conductor touch memory chipwith stored data, a coil of electric arc welding wire in contact withsaid memory chip and a device in contact with said wire to read datafrom said memory chip through said wire.